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    40 Kommentare

    1. I listened to the whole press conference. It sounds like permits to bring in foreign workers will be tied to investments in skills programmes. This seems entirely sensible and could be very effective if implemented correctly.

      It works because it re-emphasises the fact that importing workers should be the temporary fix to a skills shortage, not the permanent state of affairs. It also adds a premium to foreign workers compared to domestic, which levels the playing field and helps prevent undercutting.

    2. Positive_Vines on

      Oligarchic overlords living in Knightsbridge, Kensington & Chelsea and Mayfair will not be happy about this, that’s for sure

    3. PoloniumPaladin on

      >Migrants will also need to reside in the UK for 10 years before they can apply for permanent residency – it’s currently five years

      Gotta say, as an immigration single issue voter who was planning to vote Reform, I didn’t think they would go this far. This is a huge change because that’s far longer than most other developed countries, which means we instantly become a lot less attractive to emigrate to for millions of people trying to find a new country to live in. That should have a significant impact. Bravo.

    4. the reform polls really kicked their asses into gear huh

      good changes though this is how it always should have been

    5. PrrrromotionGiven1 on

      The problem with this strategy is that the kinds of people Starmer is trying to win over don’t care what he does, the reality of the Labour Party doesn’t matter, only their preconceived notions and tropes like „Labour support open borders“, „Labour are marxists“, „Lefty Lawyers“ etc.

      He won’t win over the right wing press or echo-chambers, and these people have never been driven by policy, just narratives. Is it the right policy anyway? Maybe, but let’s be real here, the reason he’s doing this is to win votes and try to get ahead of the Tories in particular on the immigration debate (with Reform being a more wicked problem for Labour because they are a vibes choice)

    6. Express-Doughnut-562 on

      It all sounds quite good?

      This [graph on the BBC is quite telling](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/800/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2025/5/12/272cd1fd-7d18-4178-8911-ae88eeda8878.png.webp). It shows how EU migration has reduced form 300k a year in 2017 to negative numbers of late, whilst non-eu migration has surged from 90k to almost a million in the same time period.

      Those are wild figures and it’s clear something drastic needs to happen. it also coincides with attitudes towards immigration turning more negative as it would clearly have a sizable impact on communities.

    7. Travel-Barry on

      I honestly think Labour could go full Reform on their policies, but the facile electorate would still not give a shit as long as their guy Nigel makes further gains. 

    8. Wide_Tune_8106 on

      Too little too late. London has a foreign majority now and it’s not the only city like that. There’s also Birmingham, Bradford, Leicester.

    9. Good, let’s see if changes are actually enforced and if they make any difference.

    10. Still won’t be enough for some.

      If Starmer proved he had cut migration down by 90% people would say „fake numbers“ or „lies“ because they saw one brown guy down the shop. Farage proves he has cut it by 10% and it will be „man of the people“.

      I genuinely hate the British public when it comes to politics.

    11. Zestyclose_System556 on

      Honestly, I’m currently on the 5 year path. It’s already cost me £30,000 to be here and this announcement looks to double that. It’s becoming harder and harder to justify being here. 

    12. shameshame23 on

      Reluctant reform voter here. This was very very effective for me.

      Pragmatic and competent plan. Reduce immigration and integration without the silliness that comes with having to vote for a vibes based party? I’m in. I can get behind that.

    13. goodvibes94 on

      Okay but how does this affect employers who take on employees for the year after they complete a degree and then have constant turnover? This just means companies will use this even more no?

    14. I appreciate the honesty in this thread from some Reform / intending to vote Reform voters.

    15. Zealousideal_Top9939 on

      Serious question: how much immigration do we need to deal with the aging population/ Brits having less children?

    16. NuclearBreadfruit on

      Conservatives prattling about starmer being untrustworthy

      Yeah because they really proved themselves in 14 YEARS, including overseeing the Boris wave

    17. TheOnlyNemesis on

      Won’t fix the main issue, cheap labour. This will be a jobs cluster fuck. No cheap foreign labour and no local labour to work at that wage.

    18. Dependent-Library602 on

      From what I heard at the press conference, and have read, there’s nothing that sounds like it should be that controversial. It’s obvious something needs to change, and not for any racist or xenophobic reasons, but for sustainability and I’d argue moral reasons. Sustainable because no, building the equivalent of Birmingham every year just isn’t feasible. Moral, because importing labour to do difficult jobs that often come with a high level of responsibility (e.g. care workers) and paying them a pittance is not moral.

      I do understand that some sectors, especially social care, are especially dependent upon immigration, but what this should tell us is that we need a fundamental retooling of our economic systems. The labour to do these jobs does exist already, and the barriers for why these people are not doing these jobs need addressing.

      I’m broadly pro-immigration, and I’ve been an immigrant myself in several countries, teaching in international schools. These have been very positive experiences. I think global mobility is a positive thing, but so is sustainability.

    19. anotherboringdj on

      Ppl have less issues with migrant workers than illegal immigrants or fake refugees. They must stop those to reduce the issue, not to put more administrative issues for fruit harvesters from Bulgaria

    20. -_-0_0-_-0_0-_-0_0 on

      Regardless of my position on the matter. This is just a settled issue for the country at this point. Nothing else to do but do it. It’s pretty clearly the majority position that has been ignored for a long time.

    21. For all Reform Supporters, you will not get zero immigration. Even if your own party was in power you would still least have 200,000 a year Net Migration according to your own policies.

    22. Does anyone have a link to any study or studies or anything justifying this anti imigration thing? Or is it just pure unjustified xenophobia?

    23. GoochBlender on

      It still baffles me how we ended up in this timeline where Labour is the right wing half of the uniparty.

    24. >Refugee charity Care4Calais, who provide humanitarian aid in northern France and the UK, accuse the prime minister of „fanning the fire of the far-right“ by using language like „an island of strangers“ to discuss immigration.

      >Care4Calais CEO, Steve Smith, said: „This is dangerous language for any Prime Minister to use. Has Starmer forgotten last year’s far-right riots?

      >“Shameful language like this will only inflame the fire of the far-right and risks further race riots that endanger survivors of horrors such as war, torture and modern slavery. Starmer must apologise

      Hilariously out of touch. No way this CEO isn’t making a fortune on other people’s misery.

    25. Just curious,does this apply only to future immigrants, or to all immigrants who are already living in the country as well?

    26. How long before the opposition comes out to claim it’s too little, too slow, or won’t work blah blah blah.

      Offer no alternative.

      But their faithful will just eat it and spit it out.

    27. Does anyone know if this will affect people who already have indefinite leave to remain?

      I met my wife in Malta in 2011, we married in 2018 and she moved back with me in 2019.

      We are now a little worried about this being enforced retroactively

    28. My parter is from Australia, we met while she was on her youth mobility Visa. Now on a partnership Visa for the past 2 years (Which cost us £3000+). This Visa will run out at the end of the year, for another £3k. Even though she’s been in the country for 4 years now, only 2 count towards ILR. So 3 years to go.

      Now this change doubles that and puts it to another 7 years. Feels like a kick in the teeth to be honest. My partner is fully integrated with the culture here, works, pays tax, contributes as much as anyone and we are basically being hit with a £12,000 fine…

    29. Virtual-Baseball-297 on

      So Labour taking action because “far right” Reform on the rise ? Just like Germany atm with AFD – very hollow.

      Voters won’t forget, and will be reminded closer to the election cycle.

    30. HotBattleTips on

      Deliver on this Kier and stop the small boat crossings and 2029 is yours 

    31. Virtual-Magician-898 on

      The ONLY reason they’re doing anything about immigration now is cause of the local election results – it’s not because they care about you or the country, it’s cause they’re shit scared of being decimated at the next election due to intentionally ignoring the most important issues for far too long.

    32. pajamakitten on

      This is much better than just proposing a cap on numbers. A cap is a pointless target, whereas a comprehensive strategy will help us screen people and casts a wider net.

    33. AspirationalChoker on

      This actually all looks like sensible and good news regarding legal immigration, I will say they’re gonna have to hit harder on tbings like the „boats“ or they’ll still have that to contend with in voters further down the line especially when we see the likes of the terrorists arrested this past week.

    34. No-Comment5452 on

      It would end up deterring the ‘best’ talents, rather than ‘normal’ ones you expect. Opportunity cost differs for different wealth/talent level.

    35. AffectionateStuff729 on

      A migrant here – Came to the UK in early 2021, so I have a few more months before qualifying to applying for ILR under the current rules. I have been working always since then, paying tax, NI, etc.

      I’m expecting a baby, and was looking to build a family here. Now these new proposals put me in extreme stress. If I have to wait another 5 years, I’m not sure it’s worth it. I went through redundancy twice in the UK, and I know how stressed it was to find another job while the clock is ticking.

      Just a vent. I don’t know what I can do

    36. Why am I getting punished for falling in love with someone in a different country?

      10 fucking years… 10 years where I have to shell over literally tens of thousands of pounds to the government just for the privilege of living with the person I married…

      For what?! This does nothing to stop the boats, I’m an engineer, my wife is a doctor, and Keir is saying the UK basically wants neither of us here??

      Thought I was voting for some actual decency in this country just to get thrown to the gutter. Fuck him and this wet towel of a party.

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